Professional Documents
Culture Documents
a
n
y
E
n
g
l
i
s
h
l
e
a
r
n
e
r
s
w
o
r
r
y
t
o
o
m
u
c
h
a
b
o
u
t
t
e
n
s
e
.
Tenses
The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic
tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of the
tense:
Present Tense
I do do, I do
Present Continuous Tense
I am doing, I am doing tomorrow
Present Perfect Tense
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been doing
Past Tense
I did do, I did
Past Continuous Tense
I was doing
Past Perfect Tense
I had done
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
I had been doing
Future Tense
I will do
Future Continuous Tense
I will be doing
Future Perfect Tense
I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
I will have been doing
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
Simple Present Tense
I sing
+ I am French.
?
You, we, they are French.
- I am not old.
Am I late?
It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not
general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to
be" in the simple present tense—some of them are general, some of them are now:
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past present future
We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from the simple present tense,
both in structure and in use.
In this lesson we look the structure and use of the present continuous tense, follwed by a quiz to check
your understanding:
How do we make the Present Continuous
Tense?
The structure of the present continuous tense is:
+ I am speaking to you.
? Is he watching TV?
...the pages are turning. ...the candle is burning. ............ the numbers are spinning. b) for action
The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now, and it
is not permanent or habitual.
!!!
A firm plan or programme exists
The action is in the future.
now.
Look at these examples:
In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were
made before speaking.
be > being
Exception 1
If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the last letter:
s t o p
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is not
stressed:
The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages
a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact,
the structure of the present perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense.
In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English.
In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the present perfect, followed by a quiz to check your
understanding:
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb.
We also sometimes do this when we write.
I have I've
1. experience
2. change
3. continuing situation
!!!
The action or state was in the In my head, I have a memory
past. now.
Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about
the event; I have experience of it.
- +
Last week I didn't have a car. Now I have a car.
+ -
Yesterday John had a good leg. Now he has a bad leg.
+ -
Was the price $1.50 yesterday? Is the price $1.70 today?
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
- +
Yesterday the killer was free. Now he is in prison.
Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present.
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.
N 4 years 1994
G 2 centuries 1800
L
a long time I left school
I
ever the beginning of time
S
etc etc
H
Here are some examples:
G
• I have been here for 20 minutes.
R • I have been here since 9 o'clock.
• John hasn't called for 6 months.
A • John hasn't called since February.
• He has worked in New York for a long
M time.
M • He has worked in New York since he left
For can be used with all tenses. Since is school.
usually used with perfect tenses only.
A
N
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been singing
Contractions
When we use the present perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and the
first auxiliary. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
I have been I've been
We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that started in the past and stopped
recently. There is usually a result now.
!!!
Recent action. Result now.
• I'm tired [now] because I've been running.
• Why is the grass wet [now]? Has it been raining?
• You don't understand [now] because you haven't been listening.
We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that started in the past and is
continuing now. This is often used with for or since.
for since
a period of time a point in past time
20 minutes 6.15pm
6 months January
4 years 1994
2 centuries 1800
etc etc
Here are some examples:
The simple past tense is sometimes called the preterit tense. We can use several tenses to talk about
the past, but the simple past tense is the one we use most often.
In this lesson we look at the structure and use of the simple past tense, followed by a quiz to check
your understanding:
Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs:
V1 V2 V3
base past past participle
The structure for positive sentences in the simple past tense is: subject
+ main verb
past
The structure for negative sentences in the simple past tense is: subject
The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And
the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbs go and work:
+ I went to school.
Here are some short events with the simple past tense:
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may use the past continuous
tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the simple past tense for the action. Look at this
example of the beginning of a story:
"The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring down. It was cold. The door opened
and James Bond entered. He took off his coat, which was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He
sat down in the corner of the lounge and quietly drank his..."
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
Past Continuous Tense
I was singing
The past continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the
middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.
In this lesson we look at the structure and the use of the past continuous tense, followed by a quiz to
check your understanding:
was
base + ing
were
For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the past continuous tense:
The spelling rules for adding ing to make the past continuous tense are the same as
for the present continuous tense.
8pm
We often use the past continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it to describe the
background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past
continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense. Here is an example:
" James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was
walking in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the killer in a telephone box..."
Long action.
I was watching TV at 8pm.
8pm
You
telephoned at 8pm.
Short action.
We can join these two actions with when:
(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining the time [8pm].)
We use:
had V3
For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences
with the past perfect tense:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I had I'd
he had he'd
she had she'd
it had it'd
we had we'd
• The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.
You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of the time
being now the time is past.
For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster says to you: •
We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like said, told, asked, thought,
wondered:
When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the subject and first auxiliary
verb:
I had been I'd been
• Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two
hours.
9 11
For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:
E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
• "I am angry. I have been waiting for two hours."
The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal
auxiliary will.
will V1
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the simple future tense:
subject auxiliary verb main verb
When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will I'll
we will we'll
We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We
make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:
In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of
speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:
Prediction
We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm
plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:
• It will rain tomorrow. E N G L IS H G R A MMA R , T E N S E S
• People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
• Who do you think will get the job?
Be
When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision
before speaking. Examples:
When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:
I will I'll
he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll
we will we'll
they will they'll
For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not I won't
4pm
The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The future perfect tense talks
about the past in the future.
will have V3
Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:
subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb
In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we
contract the subject, will and have all together:
I will have I'll have I'll've
• The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When you
arrive, the train will have left.
• You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
• They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
• "Mary won't be at home when you arrive."
"Really? Where will she have gone?"
You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of your
viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:
When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and
auxiliary verb:
I will I'll
he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll
we will we'll
they will they'll
For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not I won't
• I will have been working here for ten years next week.
• He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been traveling for 24 hours.